This week, on the 2nd and 3rd of October 2024, the 1st Luso-French Defence Industries Forum took place in Paris.
The event was organised by AED Cluster Portugal, the Embassy of Portugal in France, the Directorate-General for National Defence Policy, the Directorate-General for National Defence Resources, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, aicep Portugal Global, idD Portugal Defence, the Direction Générale de l’Armament (DGA), the Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales (GIFAS), the Groupement des Industries de Construction et Activités Navales (GICAN), and the Groupement des Industries Françaises de Défense et de Sécurité Terrestres et Aéroterrestres (GICAT).
This forum was organised with the aim of deepening bilateral relations between Portugal and France in the defence industries sector, encouraging the sharing of information about the acquisition programmes of both countries, the integration of entities into supply chains, and the establishment of partnerships and consortia aimed at preparing applications for the European Defence Fund. The event also included visits to French companies and provided B2B and B2G opportunities for participants.
The event brought together 50 companies and technology centres from Portugal and France. In addition to co-organising the event, AED Cluster Portugal also had the privilege of actively participating, represented by José Neves, President of AED, Ivo Vieira, Vice President and Coordinator of the Space Commission, Rui Santos, Managing Director, and Raul Lourenço, Defence & Security Manager.
On the first day, our representatives visited the facilities of Safran and Exail, where they were exceptionally well received and took the opportunity to discuss cooperation with the national ecosystem.
That same day, a networking dinner was held with the Consulate General of Portugal in Paris, which was a resounding success and an excellent opportunity to explore potential partnerships.
As for the event itself, several presentations were made, leading to various discussions, and a total of 244 B2B meetings were held, confirming the existence of numerous opportunities for collaboration between the defence industries of both countries.
This event was a great success, and we hope it will be the first of many!